School Dress Codes: More Harmful Than Your “Too Short” Skirt

If you are (or were) one of the 23% of students forced to wear uniforms to school, you know how restrictive and totally uncool they are.

For the remaining 77% of students lucky enough to not be in uniform daily, most schools enforce a dress code under the veil of providing a safe learning environment free of distractions. Understandably, they are usually strict and lengthy; a school has to cover its ass, you know! (Pun intended.)

I’m not going to argue that dress codes and uniforms are inherently bad and don’t serve a purpose. Unless you plan on working from home, dress codes will likely be ingrained in the rest of your life. I know teenagers are a rebellious bunch and that specific rules are created with that in mind, but having biased, arbitrary regulations and vague measurements make no sense. In essence, the dress code should promote appropriate attire for the specific venue that is more or less common sense. Suggestions: Don’t wear your PJs to the office. Don’t come to school in just your underwear. That sort of thing.

The problem with many school dress codes, aside from stifling individuality in the name of perpetuating civility in the classroom, are that they are often heavily targeted toward females and are usually incredibly vague and open to interpretation. Administration reserves the right to pass judgement on what is appropriate and what is not, and the ruling usually varies based on body type and ethnicity. When the slut-shaming monster rears its ugly head, things get a little out of hand.

And things have been getting out of hand quite frequently lately.

Recently, three ladies at Mount Healthy High were turned away from their prom for the way they were dressed. School officials claimed the ladies were wearing dresses that were too short and exposing too much skin, which was explicitly prohibited by the prom’s dress code. The girls and their mothers stated that they believed they were well within their rights to wear that attire and didn’t think it violated the dress code.

The school’s principal remarked on the topic by saying, “’No school in the country would allow kids in dressed like that.” According to the dress code, “Inappropriate dresses that are too short in length or reveal excess cleavage will not be permitted.” It also states that you are not allowed to see the curvature of the breasts in the dress at all.

What exactly does that vague statement mean? It doesn’t give measurements as to what’s too short, and I don’t even know how to begin to quantify “excessive cleavage.” The two girls pictured are in dressed that are above the knee, but short prom dresses are in style. The lady wearing the strapless dress can hardly be blamed for being well-endowed and properly filling out a nice dress. And honestly, when you have large breasts, it isn’t your fault if you have cleavage; it’s practically unavoidable.

These prom girls aren’t the only ones on the receiving end of degrading dress code rules. At Capistrano Valley High, students were forced to undergo what some students referred to as a “degrading” clothing inspection before being allowed into a dance. The girls were made to flap their arms about under male teacher inspection. One student claims the principal told her “Not all dresses look good on certain body shapes,” which is an inappropriate statement if I’ve ever heard one.

A New Jersey middle school made the news after it banned strapless dresses from dances because it made girls look “inappropriate,” and — yet again — was distracting to other students, although they failed to specify how. Next on the list is a school in California that banned tight pants, citing that it was distracting to the male students. The school’s girls were informed of the rule change at an assembly where the boys were not in attendance. Not their problem, right? Another school in Minnesota expressed concern to parents and requested that they stop letting their daughters wear yoga pants or leggings because it too closely defined their backside and caused a distraction to other students. Administrators are totally cool with them pairing leggings and long shirts though, because it doesn’t have the same effect.

The absolute worst case to make headlines comes from Georgia, where a kindergarten student was forcefully changed from her clothes because they thought her skirt was too short. They also claimed it was distracting to students. Shocker.

Can we stop hiding behind the noncommittal “distracting to students” excuse?

I feel that we can’t begin to rid ourselves of rape culture as long as schools should focus on demonizing the female body. By screeching that women should cover their breasts and wear loose clothing because they will be a distraction to their peers is reimposing a stigma that women should be objectified sexually, and that poor little boys can’t help but stare and be distracted. It’s teaching young women that they are to blame for their bodies and to be ashamed of the way they look.

The problem here is not women, and teaching them to be regarded as sexual objects in need of covering lest they be assaulted or ogled is not the solution. The logical answer is to move away from the long-instilled ideas of rape culture and teach children to respect one another, be responsible for their actions and embrace their self-image.

When I first read about this, I was amazed. Amazed by the amount of bullshit. Luckily I live in France, and I don’t think we have that kind of stuff (I’m out of the basic education system anyway, but I haven’t seen some kind of dress code anywhere else). For all those little fuckers that don’t want to see the survature of breasts, seriously, the last time I checked, even with a super-sized t-shirt that would have been made to cover a person 1o times my size, my breasts are gonna show. Because they’re breasts. Even with an A-cup, breasts will always be here. And no, we cannot magically put them off and leave them at home for the day. Nor can we with vaginas.

Moreover, I don’t buy their bullshit about “distracting other students”. Other students. Yeah. Boys. Because let’s face it : girls are socialized to be able to stop staring at people’s scrotch and breasts if they have any.
What they are saying is “hello there, we think boys are stupid beings unable to control themselves, please stop tempting them you evil sluts, we know you want them to fail”. This is insulting to both women and men. To women because it reinforces victim-blaming, “boys cannot stop themselves” so they’re the ones who are responsible. It’s not like in almost every rape case, the victim is blamed for the assault…Then, to men, because it reinforces the idea that they have no control over their body, their boners, their brains. Guess what, guys? I’ve been horny in school. Just because I don’t have a penis doesn’t mean I can’t be horny looking at a guy that pleases me. But I learned how to stop that. I learned how to concentrate. Why could they not learn too?

Because, if they’re not fucking fit for living in society, then we don’t WANT them in society. You’re distracted by skin-tight clothing? YOU’RE the fucking problem. I suggest we blind every boy that considers himself distracted by those mean, mean girls who dare have boobs. Or better. Castration. No hormones, no problem.

Anonymous

Okay. For one thing, boys have a totally different brain chemistry than girls. Boys have those kinds of things hardwired into their brains and can’t get rid of them. Research shows that you can have the most cool, collected guy and he will still be distracted through no fault of his own. Now I also may not agree that the dress code was right about girls not being allowed to show the curvature of their breasts, but wearing clothing that is too revealing will distract about every boy in the room and no ammount of focus or ignoring you on their part will ever allow them to do anything about it. So the problem is not them, but you.

http://blog.dianarajchel.com Diana Rajchel

Now that’s a host of screaming baloney – “research” – you mean the research that gets debunked every single time someone trots out that pack of lies? Boys aren’t disciplined for being awful people that turn into rapey bstards when they grow up. The boys that are taught self-control is appropriate and that they are not entitled to act on an idea just because they have a physical response to a girl are good, decent men that don’t try to describe all men with the insulting idea that they aren’t capable of self-control, using false information about “brain chemistry” to defend it. Christ, someone trace this idiot’s IP to the inevitable rap sheet at the end.

Olivia

Oh, ok. So the boy in my grade that was caught masturbating at his desk got a detention, but if I wear a tank top I am humiliated in the middle of my peers by my male principal who then makes me stand up and walk with him in front of the entire auditorium during an assembly.

Eva Rinaldi

To be honest… I’m female. I was raised in a hippie post feminist family with strong female role models and all of that.

But the society we live in sets boundaries on what parts of the body should be covered in settings where people are not actively seeking a mate, and if you wear clothing that uncovers or overly accentuates those parts of the body at work or school people are going to be confused and treat you differently. This should be no different than people not acting the same way they do at a metal concert as they do at the office.

I think the idea that shoulders and necks are “distracting” and inappropriate is silly. However I also think that the trendy clothing for females these days tends to go further into sexualization than I am comfortable, and interacting with people in my 20-something peer group who wear some of these types of clothing makes me uncomfortable at times. Not because of any urge to rape them or me feeling that they should be ashamed of their bodies but because I feel that the fashions are encouraging women to look at their bodies as a commodity and a status symbol. I’m in a place where I like sex but would like to get over the idea that only perfect looking breasts are “worthy” of it. I would like to see women loving their bodies because of what they can do with them, not because of the male gaze, and to be honest I’m distressed by how difficult it can be to find things like dresses that make me feel both comfortable and glamorous without making me look 65. I wonder if women are really wearing super revealing clothing because they want to or if it’s because it’s considered normal to do so and difficult to find stuff that’s age appropriate and fun that isn’t so.

Men’s fashion, to be honest, usually is not hypersexualized. So I don’t think it’s slut shaming that women’s dress codes are stricter.

The only thing that ever really gets to me is women not wearing bras or superthin leggings women as pants. But improperly fitted pants that show the outline of the crotch are not banned in my workplace the way leggings are. It’s not distracting or that I’m afraid of sex, it’s more that I want to choose who’s genitals and nipples I see, and when.

Strapless dresses, tank tops, etc. I think should be fine. Even cleavage should be fine, but I think some hyper mini skirts should be banned if you can’t move/bend over without showing off your underthings or lack of them.

MsCC

I absolutely despise dress codes with everything in me. And yes , I’m out of high school.